Journey into darkness
by marinenerd01
Summary: A Imperial noble's tale
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: Hello everyone, just an idea I got and thought we could see how it goes. I am drawing inspiration, from Warhammer novels,** _ **The Nights' Dark Masters**_ **from Fantasy Flight Games and elsewhere, such as the Ulrika Warhammer novels. I own nothing but my own thoughts.**

The music reverberated through the ballroom of the Von Gladischer Altdorf estate as the party-goers moved to it. Elsa Von Gladischer, wineglass in one hand and a feathered fan in the other, watched the dancers with a calculated eye though seemingly uninterested eyes. While it appeared that she was watching the graceful dance, in reality she was watching two dancers in particular; Lucretia Klemperer and Marius Behner. Lucretia had been Elsa's rival for some time, had she been of a philosophical bent Elsa was have said they were fated to be foes as their families had been at one another's' throats for years. But for Elsa and Lucretia that was of little consequence. They had hated each other for most of their twenty years, each trying to outdo the other in all matters.

Elsa had recently scored a victory when she had successfully seduced Marius, whom Lucretia had been courting. Just then the man in question came into view and smiled at Elsa as he whirled past and she returned the gesture. In truth, she found him rather boring and could not for the life of her see why Lucretia had wanted the man. He was selfish, vain and obsessed with his own wealth and looks, both of which he owed to birth and not to any effort of his own. In truth Elsa was the same and perhaps that was why she found him so boring, they were simply too much alike. She had really only wanted him because Lucretia had been pursuing him, now that she had ruined him for her rival she doubted that she would keep him around much longer. She doubted he would care, it was a not uncommon practice among those of the noble class of Altdorf and he would soon find someone else. His wealth would ensure that he had no shortage of women pursuing him and men could indulge in far more desolate lifestyles than women could.

The thought of him moving on was the only part that annoyed her, not his leaving but the fact that he could. She would have preferred him to be poor, not too poor of course as she had little use for peasants, but she would have liked to have held the power of the purse-strings over him. That was what she found truly pleasurable, to have power over others, to force them to bend to her will or be crushed by her. Fortunately, the Empire was filled with impecunious nobles to provide her with amusement. It amused her to see those she had tired of following her around like a puppy begging for scraps, knowing if they failed to pleas her she could cut them off. The Von Gladischers had always been wealthy family and as the sole heir Elsa had inherited it all and as she was the last of her family it was all for her enjoyment. She had no children and wasn't planning on having any. When she was gone, it would be over and she did not care, the money was more than enough to last the rest of her life and she had no care of what came after.

With that in mind, she cast about the hall looking for a new conquest. To her displeasure she found that the pickings were on the slim side. Most of the men she would be interested in were either those she had dallied with before or who had sufficient funds to be able to ensure they would not be at her mercy for money. Just as she was about to give up, a new face caught her attention. He was a tall men, not slim but not burley either. He had light brown hair and gray eyes. His face bore the haughtiness of most nobles but it was his clothes which truly intrigued Elsa. They were clean and well-cared for but anyone could tell at a glance that they were at least a year old and therefor hopelessly out of fashion. To the trained eye it was clear what he was, an impecunious noble hoping to wheedle money from those present. Perfect. Just then the music stopped ending the dance. Taking advantage of the opportunity Elsa started to walk toward the stranger. To her delight her path took her past Lucretia. As she walked by her rival she leaned in to whisper in Lucretia's ear.

"You may have Marius back. I'm done with him." Smirking at the look of rage on the other woman's face Elsa continued to walk on towards her new target.

The stranger had moved from the dance floor to the entrée table, he had ignored the food but had taken a glass of wine. As she drew near Elsa slowed as she approached and considered her options. This was always the tricky part, how to approach a new conquest. She knew that she was beautiful woman; though only of average height she had an exhalent figure. A lifetime of sleeping late and enjoying parties long into the night had given her the pale look which was all of the rage at the moment and completely free of freckles, despite her bright red hair which was her favorite feature. Her eyes were a bright green and, she had been told full of life. Still looks were not enough, men could be so picky about how a woman presented herself. Some like a bold, out-going woman while others preferred a woman to appear shy and demure, it gave them a sense of power. As it happened, the problem was solved for her when the man started to approach her. As he came up to her he executed a graceful bow.

"My lady, if I am not mistaken I have the honor of addressing the Lady Elsa of the illustrious Von Gladischer family?" Elsa gave cheerful and completely false laugh, even as she noticed his voice bore an accent.

"You do indeed Sir."

"Then it is your hospitality that I must thank for this wonderful evening I am enjoying." At this he bowed again. Elsa gave a slight curtsy in acknowledgement of the complement.

"I fear Sir that you have me at a slight disadvantage. You have my name, but I do not have yours." He made a quick bow and gave a small chuckle which was as false as Elsa had been.

"Oh forgive me, I am Niklaus De Mont, late of Carcassonne."

"Ah, a Bretonnian." Elsa said; "One sees far too few of your fine countrymen in the city. Have you been here long?" Men, Elsa knew, always liked to talk about themselves."

"Not for some time I fear. My father is a baron there and I fear some harsh words were spoken and I thought it best to visit the Empire, something I have always wished to do and let both our heads cool."

 _So._ Elsa thought contemptuously _. You made Papa, the local tyrant, angry and had to run for it before he had you disemboweled or whatever it is you backwater savages call justice._ Looking at him she began to think this might be more trouble than the entertainment was worth. He would either be too proud to ask for help, which would make her do all of the work of forcing him to take it which would make it no fun at all. Or he would practically beg on hands and knees. While this was satisfying in the short run it grew boring very quickly. Her thoughts were interrupted by De Mont talking again.

"I feel I would be a complete failure as a guest if I do not have at least one dance with you." He gave another bow and offered her his hand.

"Might I have the honor of this dance?" Elsa suppressed the urge to groan. Having decided he would provide her with any amusement she was eager to get away from him as quickly as possible. Still, she could not simply refuse, that would be seen as very poorly bred. She would have to be more gracious about it, fortunately she had an out in the form of Marius.

"You honor me with your request De Mont and I would but I promised this dance to Marius Behner. I fear that where I not to keep my word I would wound him deeply." She turned to go but to her surprise he took her hand as she tried to leave.

"I insist on having this dance with you." She turned back to give him an angry retort when her eyes locked with his.

She had not realized how deep his eyes were, like twin pools. She tried to look away but found that she could not. The longer she looked into them the more the world around them seemed to fade away; the music and sounds of revelry all seemed to fade away, leaving only Elsa and De Mont. Elsa felt dazed, as if she had not slept for some time or if she had drunk too much wine. She felt her will to resist fade away and she found that she wanted to give in to his demands.

"Very well." She said, her voice sounding dreaming and her mind having difficulty focusing.

They whirled through the dance as if in a dream, nothing seemed real but De Mont, everything else seemed to slid around in her mind like a half-remembered dream. She was a magnificent dancer but he made her feel like a clumsy child and his grip was firm and strong. She found that she could not take her eyes away from his and it was he who broke contact. Once that was done things slowly began to slide back into focus, though she still felt dazed and confused. As she tried to shake off whatever it was she had been experiencing De Mont scanned the room.

"I do love these social interactions but they bore me after a while. Come, let us go somewhere private." He was being incredibly impertinent and forward but Elsa found herself nodding in agreement.

He took her hand and led her from the ballroom, through a set of double doors and out into the gardens. These were extensive and well-maintained by a small army of gardeners. There were numerous bushes and shrubs and as they passed some of these the sounds of couples taking advantage of the privacy that these afforded. At these sounds De Mont smirk in way which was half amusement and half contempt.

"They do seem to be enjoying themselves don't they?" He asked her. She smiled at him and nodded. In truth, even without whatever it was that was effecting her she would have shared his view. While a roll in the bush was something she had done herself it had always been to profit her in some way, to steal from a rival or to cement her position. The thought of doing it merely for pleasure was an alien concept to her and she found herself looking down on those who indulged themselves thus.

"Rather like cattle aren't they?" She whispered theatrically in his ear. He responded which a laugh which both chilled and thrilled her simultaneously.

"I knew you were a woman after my own heart. Yes, your assessment is an accurate one. Peasants of course are little better than cattle, in both looks and intelligence. But I find many nobles are just as bad. They think so small and have no vision, many of them aren't even true nobles but moneyed peasants who wormed their way in among their betters."

"I feel the same way." Elsa said truthfully. "They think their money is a substitute for breeding and class. One must tolerate them I know, but when you see them prancing around in their silks and velvets I always feel the urge to order them to mop the floor or fetch me a drink." Again he laughed.

"I see you are a women of imminent good sense. It is so rare in this age to find a noblewoman who has proper pride in her class. Yes, you are exactly what I need and perhaps even more."

Their walk had brought them to a secluded spot and he drew her close to him and in leaned in as if to kiss her. She had lost control of the situation but she found she did not mind and she closed her eyes in anticipation. Her last sensation was not his lips on hers but his teeth in her neck.

 **Author's Notes: Hey everyone, what did you think? I want to try something a little different with this story, so we will see how it goes. Who did you dislike the most of this chapter? Till next time please pray for the Christians being persecuted in Pakistan and elsewhere, including girls and woman kidnapped and forced to convert and marry. The miners in Pakistan trapped from a cave-in and everyone else who needs prayer. For those of you who have read my other stories and who prayed for Pastor Saeed and the Pastor who was shot but they say will pull through, Jesus saw fit in his plans to answer them in the affirmative. Thanks and may Jesus bless you.**


	2. Belgium

Hello everyone, I know some people find these announcements annoying and I do apologize but after all that has happened I feel that I must do this. You all probably know what has happened in Belgium and I ask you to please pray for those who have been injured. As you know ISIS has claimed credit for the attack. There are also unconfirmed rumors that they intend to celebrate Good Friday by crucifying a priest on that day, this has not been confirmed but it is possible. I ask you all to please pray for him, the injured and their families and the families of those who have died and that there be no further attacks and all who need prayer. Bye and may Jesus bless Belgium and all of you.


	3. Chapter 3

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hey everyone, I hope you liked the last chapter and that you like this one as well, as always I own nothing.**

Elsa awoke the next morning and for a moment she was not sure where she was, glancing around she saw the familiar settings of her bedroom. Looking back she found she could not remember how she had got there, she remembered dancing with The Honorable Niklaus De Mont and walking with him in the garden. She remembered the kiss, had it been a kiss? All she knew was that it had felt better than anything she had ever felt before and she wanted to feel it again. She looked at her bed and was sorry to see that she was alone. She wanted to see him again, needed to see him again. She shook her head and regained control of herself, she was not some silly lovesick girl! She was a player, not a piece. Having told herself that she picked up the small bell on her nightstand and rang it.

The bell summoned her maid, Gretel, to attend her. Gretel was plump with mousy brown hair. Elsa thought her rather unattractive but she was attentive and was not prettier than Elsa, a fact which pleased Elsa considerably. Gretel entered the room and curtsied.

"Yes Madam?"

"I am hungry, fetch me breakfast." Gretel curtsied again and departed. After she had gone Elsa lay back in her bed and sighed contentedly.

Yes, last night had been a good night. She had hosted a successful party, humiliated a rival and met an interesting new man. Her thoughts were interrupted by Gretel returning. That caused Elsa to frown. The girl was stupid but she knew better than to enter Elsa's room without a good reason and there was no way that her breakfast would be ready so soon. She gave the girl a withering look as the girl came in and curtsied again.

"You have a good reason for coming in here without my breakfast I presume?" Elsa said, in tone which suggested that she would make Gretel sorry if she did not. Elsa was pleased to see the fear that came over the girl, she enjoyed tormenting the girl and the other servants knowing that they were unable to do anything about it. Having power over others gave her a feeling of great pleasure.

"Yes, Madam." Gretel said, holding out a tray on which a letter rested.

"A boy delivered this just now. He said it was from The Honorable De Mont and he was to wait if there was to be a reply." At the name Elsa felt her heart and breathing being to race. She forced herself to be calm and take the letter, she opened it and began to read.

 _My dear Lady Elsa Von Gladischer._

 _I cannot thank you enough for a wonderful evening last night. I fear though that we did not have time to become as aquatinted as we might have. If it is not overly bold of me, I would feel greatly honored if you would permit me to call on you again this evening._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _The Honorable Niklaus De Mont of Carcassonne._

Elsa stared at the letter for a moment and felt her heart race. She had not realized how much she wanted to see De Mont, how much she _needed_ to see him. Yes, she needed to see him, the thought of seeing him thrilled and disturbed her. No one had ever had this effect on her before. Remembering Gretel was still standing there she sent the girl for ink and paper. Once she had these she wrote out a hasty reply stating that she was eager to see him again and handed it to the servant to send to De Mont.

The day seemed to take forever to pass. Her steward came to take care of some matters regarding some estates and other business matters. She always disliked it when he came, she had no interest in business and such matters bored her. Also, she did not like to be reminded that her family was engaged in business. It had been her grandfather who had started investing in business, after the family had suffered financial reversal, her father had disliked it as well. The Von Gladischers were nobles, not money-grubbing cash-breeders, such actions were for peasants, not families like hers. She signed the papers she was told to sign and sent him away as soon as possible.

At last evening came and De Mont arrived. He was even more attractive than she remembered and when their eyes met she found herself falling into them. She led him to the dining room and offered him the sumptuous dinner. She found herself eager for him to be happy and was willing to do whatever it took to please him. She thought this strange and a little disturbing as she had never felt this way about any of the other men she had been with. To her dismay he politely decline all offers of food as he had eaten earlier. All that he would take was a little red wine.

"Forgive me my lady," he apologized for the third time. "I do not know what I was thinking. It is unforgivably rude of me." Elsa would normally have agreed but she found that she could not be angry with him, she just wanted him to be happy.

"Think nothing of it De Mont. I should be apologizing to you if I failed to make it clearer in the invitation that dinner would be provided." He laughed again and she found herself laughing as well. It made her think of those women who giggled like dressed-up twits at parties, she had always despised them but she found that she could not stop for several seconds. When she at last brought herself under control she found that he was looking intensely.

"My lady, forgive me but I must say this, you are the most fascinating woman in this city and I find that I hope sincerely that we will be able to spend time together." Elsa found her breath catch in her throat a strange longing stir within her.

"That would be quite delightful." She answered, her voice slightly short of breath. He smiled and drew her in.

Time passed swiftly, first a week and then a fortnight. De Mont called on her every night and as time passed he came to dominate her life more and more. Elsa found that she would rather spend time with De Mont than with anyone else and stopped both going to and hosting parties. She knew that people were beginning to talk but she paid them no mind. There was also the matter of money. De Mont had asked her for several times for loans and while normally she would have sent any such requests for aid away Elsa found herself agreeing to the his requests. Then there was the other request, as a game he suggested that she call him master in private. Her first instinct was to slap his face but when she looked into his eyes she found herself agreeing to it and as time went on she found herself thinking of him as such in her own thoughts. Despite all the changes she found that she was enjoying herself more than she had ever before and she was counting the hours till he could come to visit, even sleeping more and more during the day so that she could spend the whole night with him.

However; as time passed she noticed that something seemed to be wrong. He seemed disturbed, on edge, as if he was expecting bad to happen. At times he even took to look over his shoulder as if he was expecting an attack. Then the fatal night came. It started off as all the other nights had, but as soon as De Mont arrived there was an urgency about him but also a calmness, as if he had come to a decision.

"Master, is something wrong?" Elsa asked. He did not answer her, of late he had become for more rude and commanding.

"Have your baggage packed, we will be going on a journey." Elsa did not understand but gave the order for her some of her possessions to be packed and arrangements for the house to be looked after and then joined De Mont in his carriage.

They drove through the streets of the city to a house in the middle-class portion of the city. There were two figures near the door who opened the door to let them in. Inside more figures moved about packing boxes and chests and moving them somewhere out of sight. Wordlessly, De Mont led her up to a bedroom on the second floor and closed the door behind them.

"I have something to tell you." He told her simply.

"What is it Master?"

"I have not been entirely honest with you. I did indeed come from Bretonnia but I have not been there in more than three hundred years."

"I do not understand." Elsa said, though a suspicion was forming in her mind. De Mont chuckled knowingly.

"I think you do my pet. I am a vampire of the Von Carstein bloodline, the most powerful of the vampiric bloodlines." As he spoke he seemed to stand taller and his presence became both darker and more magnificent at the same time.

"You have proven useful to me and I mean to reward you. I have chosen you to be my child in darkness." Elsa's mind was reeling. A vampire! One of the beings who had nearly brought the Empire to its knees in centuries past! And now one was offering to turn her into one!

She felt not the slightest hint of hesitation. Why should she? It was everything that she ever wanted, she had wealth and power already. Now she would have immortality and eternal beauty to enjoy it. All that it would cost was her mortality and what of it? All that mortality meant was growing old and ugly. Some might cite the gods but she had never cared about them anyway and now they would completely lose their hold over her. She looked at De Mont and smiled.

"Change me Master, make me like you." He smiled in turn and as he drew her into his embrace she saw his fangs extend for the first time.

She awoke some time later and found that she was lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room. She did not remember what had happened to her after De Mont had taken her into his embrace. She vaguely remembered darkness and weakness overwhelming her. She had fallen into a dark tunnel and it had felt as if her whole body was being torn apart and she had felt something being torn from her. She had come back to herself and she had found herself lying on the floor feeling weak and nauseous, she had memories of her master summoning some of his servants to carry her to this room and laying her down on this bed.

She slowly rose from the bed and was pleased to see that the weakness was gone, in fact she had never felt more alive. It seemed like all of her senses were heightened. Her hearing was sharper, she smelled something and spun to see a mouse scampering across the room. She felt no revulsion, she was too busy staring at it. She could smell it, she could hear its heart beat and she could smell the warm blood coursing through its body. The later awakened something inside her.

She felt a thirst, a craving for the life-giving fluid that surpassed any desire that she had ever felt in life. She moved towards it. As she did she found that she was moving differently as well, she moved more swiftly and gracefully than she had before and the feel of her muscles made her realize that she was stronger than she had ever been before. She was so focused on her thoughts that she did not hear Gretel entering in the room.

"Mistress? Do you ne…" Her words ended in a frightened gasp as Elsa turned towards her servant.

Elsa stared at her servant. She heard her frightened breathing and she smelled the fear. That excited her and she felt pain in her mouth and when she probed her mouth with her tongue she found that her teeth had turned to fangs and had extended. All that paled in comparison to the scent of blood flowing through the woman. Gretel tried to flee but Elsa sprang off like a hunting cat and bore her servant to the ground. Ignoring the woman's pleas Elsa pulled her head back and bit into the woman's neck and began to suck.

As the blood flowed down her throat a feeling of ecstasy overwhelmed Elsa. She had never felt anything like this before, it was better than wine, better than any lover and even better than the weirdroot that she had tried once. She heard the servant's heartbeat slowing and she knew the woman was dying but she did not care, she wanted more of the feeling and she did not care what the cost to Gretel would be. So she kept sucking till she heart Gretel's heart go still. Even after the woman died Elsa continued to suck till she heard a voice behind her.

"Enough." The word carried a commanding tone and though Elsa wished to continue drinking she found that she could not resist and rose to her feet and turned around to face De Mont. He looked at Gretel's body, an expression of disapproval on his face.

"That was sloppily done thrall. That is a lesson that you must learn and learn quickly, if you want to survive you must learn control. You do not leave drained bodies in your wake. That is the first and most important rule."

"I was hungry!" Elsa said, her voice taking on a distinctive whine.

"Silence thrall!" De Mont snapped. "Things are moving faster than I thought they would and I am too busy to waste time babysitter a vampire with no self-control." He paused and seemed to be gathering himself. He then began to speak again.

"There is water back in your room. Go clean yourself up and get ready to travel, we shall be leaving soon." With that he turned and headed back down the hall.

Elsa rose to her feet and clutched at her stomach. Now that the urge to feed was gone she realized that she had overindulged and her belly was bloated and she had a stomachache. She step over the body without giving it a second glance. Inside there was a mirror above a table upon which was a basin and a bowl with a pitcher of water. She moved to it and with a start she saw that she cast no reflection in the mirror. In ways almost as strong as the feeding had done, her lack of image in the mirror drove home what had happened.

She was a vampire! She was undead! She would exist forever, fifty years from now, a hundred years from now, a thousand years from now she would be alive, strong and beautiful! She then remembered what De Mont had commanded she splashed water on her face and changed into a traveling dress. As she left to look for De Mont she found that the body of Gretel was gone. Hearing sounds downstairs she found the silent servants were nearly finished loading the baggage onto a wagon which stood next to a magnificent black coach. Standing next to the coach was De Mont.

"Good," he said once he saw Elsa. "It is time to go. Get in." With that he turned and got into the carriage. Elsa was used to be helped into carriages but it was clear that De Mont no longer saw the need to be polite to her anymore. She sighed and got in.

The inside consisted of plush black silk which was very comfortable and luxurious. She made to sit by De Mont, but he gave her a look and she sat down opposite from him. After a few moments the sound of things being loaded ended and De Mont tapped the roof of the carriage. At his signal the carriage began to move and soon they were moving through the streets of the city. They rode in silence for some time but at last Elsa spoke again.

"Master, where are we going?" He stared at her for a moment and then he began to speak.

"While all of the Von Carstein share the same bloodline, we do not always share a common goals. Like the human cattle we have politics and like all politics things can get ugly.

"Unfortunately, I was on the losing end of one such dispute and was compelled to flee for my life. When that happened I lost most of my assets, which was why I came to you. Once I gained those assets I meant to alter circumstances to facilitate my return to my old position. Unfortunately, it seems that my rival has successfully tracked me and is attempting to bring my threat to his position to a permanent end. This has forced me to alter my plans, starting with my leaving Altdorf with you."

"Who is this rival?"

"An old goat by the name of Van Opfer." De Mont began to talk more animatedly, it seemed he enjoyed railing against his rival. "An old blood bag who's been around practically since Sigmar. Despite his great age, which he never tires of talking about, he has never risen to the very top ranks of leadership and he now contents himself with sabotaging the efforts of more talented vampires in a pathetic effort to keep himself from becoming even more irrelevant than he already is." He paused and took a deep breath.

"He has managed to upset my plans, but I shall recover. As to what is to happen now, once we are out of the city we are going to collect my other servant and then I shall ponder my next move."

 **Author's Notes: Well, what did you think? As I may have said, I intend for her to be a very unlikable character for a while, am I succeeding. To be honest I found it hard to write such an unpleasant character at times so please let me know if you see areas which need improvement. Till next time, in addition to the usual prayer requests, please pray for my aunt-in-law, if that is what you would call her, Pam. She is not doing well and they say she doesn't have a lot of time** **and as I am a Christian and she is not you see my concern** **. Thank you and may Jesus bless you.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone, glad that you liked the last chapter, I hope that you like this one as well. As always I own nothing.**

They rode in silence for some time, De Mont clearly was not in the mood to speak and Elsa was reluctant to interrupt her master while he was clearly in a dark mood. The carriage drove for the better part of an hour into the countryside. They turned onto a side road and continued on it till they began to approach what appeared to be a manor house.

With her new powers Elsa could see that it was indeed a fine house, or rather had been. It was clearly in a state of decay, with the paint peeling, the path overrun with weeds and sections of the roof fallen in. There was also something else, not something that she could see, rather something she could sense. It was heavy and dark yet at the same time it seemed to draw her and she wanted to experience it more.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the carriage coming to a halt. She could sense the substance coming closer and from the house figures emerged. At first Ella took them to be deformed or mutants, but with a start she realized that the figures were not mutants and that they were, in fact, not even alive. Zombies! She had heard of such creatures, but had never seen one before and now there were half a dozen of them. She found that she felt no fear, but after a moment it made perfect sense. Why should she? She was a vampire, these creatures were her kind's servants. Even if these were not she was certain with her new powers she could defeat them. Indeed, she found that she was looking forward to a chance to use her new strength and she found that her fangs and claws were extending. Seeing this De Mont snapped at her.

"Don't be foolish Thrall! These are more of my servants and I have few enough of those at present for them to be killing each other!" At his tone Elsa drew back and her fangs and claws retracted.

Just then another figure emerged from the house. This one was alive, if only just. Elsa could see the blood flowing through his veins, yet sluggish as if it was still flowing long after it should have stopped. This paled in comparison to what else Elsa sensed. The darkness was emanating from him, it flowed from him and when she focused Elsa could see strings of it connecting the zombies to him. She pulled her attention from that and focused on the man himself. She could not tell how old he was, she suspected he was using magic to keep himself alive. He was clad in black robes, frayed at the ends. His gray hair was long, thin and had fallen out in patches. All in all he looked like a villain from some play. He then spoke and Elsa was surprised that his voice was soft, educated and even cultured and with a slight foreign accent.

"Master, it does my heart good to see that you have returned." He then saw Elsa and he raised an eyebrow.

"I see you have a companion and a lovely one at that." De Mont made a dismissive gestured.

"She is my new Thrall Doctor and none of your concern." With that he strode from the coach and headed into the mansion, leaving Elsa alone with the man and zombies. The man set the zombies to unloading the carriage and then turned back to Elsa and bowed.

"Greetings My Lady, I am Doctor Gaspar Perdigon of Estalia."

"He called you Doctor." Elsa said, there was something about the man she did not like. There was a hint of arrogance in his voice which was most inappropriate for a human to have when addressing a vampire.

"Indeed, I studied medicine at one of the most prestigious universities in my nation. Alas, I found that that was not enough as my body still sickened and so I was forced to look elsewhere." Understanding dawned on Elsa.

"You are a necromancer." He bowed again, far too shallow for her liking and began to speak again.

"Indeed, I have studied the art for many years and I flatter myself that I have some skill in it. My talents came to the attention of your master and he took me into his service."

" _OUR_ master." Elsa said, feeling her anger growing. How dare this little mortal maggot think itself superior to her, a goddess of the night!" Gaspar had clearly realized her mood, but he still did not seem concerned and his insolent grin was still on his face. She felt an overwhelming urge to rip his head off, a feat which she could now accomplish with ease, when De Mont called from the mansion.

"THRALL! GASPAR!" He bellowed at her. Something in his voice triggered a compulsion to obey and she hurried inside, the necromancer following at a more sedate pace. He was standing in the entranceway and it was clear that his mood had not improved. As they neared he swung towards them.

"I did not bring you here so you two can gossip like a couple of fish-wives Thrall!" Before she could reply he rounded on Gaspar.

"Are the preparation complete?"

"Alas no my lord. You forbad me to leave the grounds. Unfortunately, there were not enough remains here. So I fear that our forces are not as large as they might." His words did little to calm De Mont, who gnashed his teeth in rage.

"FOOL! Van Opfer is snapping at our heels! Do I need to remind you what will happen if we are not in a position of strength when we meet?" I can assure you, he will not value your services like I do! So unless you wish for your miserable existence to come to an end, I suggest you remedy the situation and quickly!" He ignored them for a moment and Gaspar took the opportunity to speak.

"My lord, if I may. While I know it galls you to take such a course of action and rightly so of course. We may have to flee once again." De Mont looked outraged, but before he could speak the necromancer continued.

"While I myself have not left, per your orders, I have sent my familiars to scour the land around us and I think I have found a place suitable for us. Additionally it is near the resource that we need." De Mont stared at Gaspar for a moment and then nodded.

"Very well, have one of your familiars guide me to the place. Take the Thrall and gather the resources and meet me at this new location." Gaspar bowed.

"It shall be done my lord."

 **Author's Notes: Hey everyone, what did you think? A bit short I know, think of it as a lead in. The next will be longer and will really get you to hate her, or at least start to. Till then please pray for those effected by the earthquake in Ecuador and the baby of a family friend who had to go to hospital and all who need prayer, Bye and may Jesus bless you.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I hope you like the last chapter and will like this one, as always I own nothing.**

Elsa followed outside the mansion, seething slightly. De Mont was her sire and master, but she resented being treated as if she were a mere servant being sent on an errand with his pet corpse-fondler! Gaspar seemed to sense her mood, as he smiled ironically at her.

"Not quite what you expected when you joined the Lords of the Night is it?" She spun on him and hissed.

"Be silent mortal! We both serve the same master, but I am of far greater value to him than you are!" She meant for her voice to be frightening, in order to intimidate the man, but the results were the exact opposite. He laughed in her face, a dry hissing sound.

"Forgive me my dear. I do not mean to be rude, but I fear that you are operating under a false assumption. The assumption that you are of greater value to your master than I am.

"You have value I am sure, some of it may even be beyond your face and money, but it is I whom he truly depend on." Seeing her look of incredulity he continued.

"Why do you think he keeps me around despite my…somewhat less than respectful attitude? He does so because he needs me." He paused and gave a speculative look.

"Tell me something. What do you know about necromancy?" She looked at him, trying to see a trap. Not seeing any she answered.

"It is the art of raising the dead." He nodded.

"That is the simplest answer, it is much more than that, but it will do for our purposes. What people do not always think about is that while anyone who is capable of wielding magic can learn necromancy, not all necromancers are equal. Like any other kind of spell casters their levels of power vary. Some can raise whole armies, while others struggle to make half a dozen skeletons dance. I am of the former, while De Mont is of the latter. He needs me, without me his forces would literally crumble to dust around him.

"Looking at you I think that you have the potential to surpass your master in skill of the necromantic arts. If you wish to increase your value to your master I would take a slightly less haughty attitude toward the only one around who can teach you the art." As he spoke the words he paused and thought for a moment before he smiled.

"Yes…that would be a good test to see just how good you are." He led her down a different hallway till they exited out a side door into a small yard. Lying on the ground where the skeletons of two horses. Gaspar indicated the bones.

"These will be our mounts tonight." Elsa started to say something, but he held up his hand to still her.

"Watch." He said. Once he was certain that she was not going to interrupt, he began to chant.

They were not words which she recognized, but she was not really listening to them. Instead, her attention was focused on the area around them. The darkness that she had sensed earlier was thickening, Gaspar was drawing it to him. She saw him send lines of it into the remains of one of the horse. As the power entered the horse it reanimated and rose on its bony legs, a green light burning in its eye sockets. He then turned towards her.

"Try it with the other one." Eager to try it herself, Elsa turned towards the other skeleton and began her efforts.

Her mind could now recall things with ease and though she did not understand the words which Gaspar had spoken she could repeat them with near perfect clarity. She felt the darkness as her words drew it into her and it was wonderful, it was pleasure and power in one and she loved it. She poured it into the bones and watched as they came to a semblance of life. It was like a puppet, it had a semblance of life only because she willed it to. She literally decided if it had life or not, the kind of power which she had always wanted.

They quickly mounted and were off. As they rode Elsa found that she could make her mount run faster than any mortal horse, even the finest purebred, merely by pouring more of the power into the bones. She would have galloped throughout the night, but Gaspar called her to a halt.

"We shall have plenty of time for pleasure riding later. For now we have work to do."

"Where are we going?" Elsa demanded. Gaspar smiled, a very unpleasant sight.

"To build an army for De Mont." He would say no more and they rode on.

They rode on for more than an hour till they came to a hill near the edge of a forest. When they moved to the top of the hill they could see a village on the other side. This close to Altdorf it had no walls and Elsa guessed that the village was there to supply wood for the city. There did not appear to be many inhabitants, a hundred at most. She turned toward the necromancer.

"Care to tell me what we are doing here? I see nothing of value to our master." He merely gave her another smile.

"Why, this is the foundation of our master's army. There may not be many of them, but it is a start and there are other advantages as well. There are few defenses and we can take them and be gone before Altdorf is aware and responds. Besides, there are other, somewhat older recruits, here to be had as well." He said no more and they moved on. They slipped down the hill, past the village and into the woods beyond the village. From where they were near the village graveyard. Elsa sensed the gathering of death energy emanating from it, but there was something else as well, a barrier, invisible yet still blocking her new-found abilities. Gaspar seemed to sense it as well and he gave a little chuckle

"Foolish little peasants." At Elsa's look he explained.

"The graveyard has been consecrated to Morr and the old dreamer does not like our kind stealing from him. However; they have errored.

"They have not had a priest deconsecrate the ground. The wards are still in place, but they have weakened with time. They are strong enough to defeat the efforts of a neophyte like you, but not a master like me." He ignored her look and began to chant again.

These words were different, more complex and, in a way, darker than the words he had shown her earlier. Elsa felt the power slide from him and flow towards the graveyard. When it reached the wards it crashed against them and a struggle began. It did not last long, the wards were indeed weak and in less than a minute they began to fall apart. Once they were gone the power sank into the ground, reaching for the bodies and bones which lay beneath. She sensed the unnatural life reanimating them and then watched the ground move as bodies, both bare skeletons and those who still had flesh clinging to their bodies. Due to the lateness of the hour no one seemed to notice their dearly departed as they made their way to the surface. The village had clearly been around for some time and there several hundred at least. Gaspar turned towards her.

"Exert your will, take control of some them." Elsa looked towards the creatures and stretched out with her mind and her new powers. As she did so Gaspar released his hold on them. They faltered for a moment, but then steadied as Elsa gained control over them. It was more difficult than before, now that she had so many her mind felt strained and tired, but the feeling of power sustained her. Once it was clear that she had them under control Gaspar spoke again.

"Wait here, I will take the others and strike the village from the other side. You remain here and cut off their escape." She impatiently nodded her understanding and he left, moving through the trees to ensure that no one saw them.

Elsa waited, her frustration growing. She disliked being ordered about and she was growing hungry again. Just when she thought that she was going to boil over, Gaspar struck. There was a blast of magical energy and then the undead, at least those still capable of doing so, let loose a low moan. This was soon joined by the screams of the villagers as they poured from their homes to find the dead attacking. The air soon carried the scent of blood filled the air. Elsa found it to be intoxicating and she found her thirst becoming unbearable. Soon she both smelled and heard people running toward her.

They burst from the village, heading right towards her. They looked as cow-like as all peasants did, but these gave off a scent of fear which was quite thrilling. Their fear grew when they saw Elsa and her undead minions, their wails of despair were like sweet music to her. This was true power! To cause fear and despair in others by her mere presence! If they existed this must be what the gods felt when they rained their wrath on the world! Her pleasure was amplified by the thought that this feeling would be hers till the end of time! With an effort she brought herself back to the present. She had to ensure none of the villagers escaped to tell of what was going on.

She sent a command and the dead surged forward. She was delighted to discover that she did not have to control each and every one of them with her full attention. She only had to give them commands and they followed them. This enabled her to focus on a few of them. This proved to be highly entertaining as she used them to chase down villagers. She would let them get a little way ahead, just enough to let them think that they were going to get away and then feed more power into them and run the villagers down. Elsa found this quite funny and laughed to see it happen. Her laughter was interrupted by sound of someone running nearby, it seemed that one of the villagers had gotten past the undead and was making for the forest. Elsa moved her mount to cut off the running figure, several undead behind her.

The figure, a boy in his mid-teens, heard them, turned to look and began running even harder. Despite his best efforts Elsa and her servants gained on him. He was crying out a jumbled prayer when his foot caught on something and he fell to the ground. The undead surrounded him and began to move in. Elsa gave him a false smile.

"Such a pity boy, a little farther and you might have made good your escape." At her words the boy, now openly weeping, turned to her.

"Please! Spare me my lady! I beg you!" Elsa looked at him for a moment and then sent a command to the undead and sent them back to the slaughter as she herself dismounted.

"Very well, my servants shall not lay a finger on you." He now wept with relief.

"Thank you my lady! Thank you!"

"Oh, it's more for me." She seized the front of his clothing and hauled him to his feet, her fangs extending. "I don't want grave dirt getting on my food."

 **Author's Notes: Hey everyone, how did you like it? I was trying to make her very unlikeable, did I manage it? I will confess, I was going to make it worse, but that would have included her eating a child and I couldn't do it. If you think of any way to make her more hate able feel free to let me know. Please pray for all who need it and may Jesus bless you.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone, sorry that it has been so long since I last updated, I hope this makes up for it. As always I own nothing.**

By the time Elsa was done feeding the last of the villagers had fallen to her and Gaspar's forces. Pleased that she had not gotten any blood on her clothing, Elsa remounted her undead stead as Gaspar reanimated the bodies of the slain villagers. She moved her mount to stand beside his. If the effort of raising and controlling so many was putting a strain on the necromancer, he gave no sign of that when he turned to look at her.

"How many?" She asked him. His only reply was a shrug.

"A few hundred, maybe close to a thousand if we include the ones we raised from the graveyard. All in all, a good night." Elsa suppressed a sigh, she already suspected that she knew what De Mont would say.

"Good, but not good enough. To hear the Master talk Van Opfer likely has a force of much greater size than this." Gaspar nodded his head judiciously.

"I fear that you are right vampire. We gained a number, but Van Opfer has far more. Our only advantage is that if he were too move his army too quickly it would be noticed by the human authorities, who would send an army. This close to Altdorf the Empire could quickly marshal an army, augmented by a number of wizards and warrior priests. Such a force can, at the very least, maul Van Opfer's army quite badly, if not destroy it entirely." Elsa knew nothing about military matters, apart from having to listen to old bores going on and on about old battles that they had been in, or criticizing battles fought by others; but it seemed that what Gaspar said made sense. Then a thought struck her.

"Wouldn't our efforts likewise bring the attention of the Empire?" Gaspar shook his head.

"Not if we are clever and careful about how we go about it.

"We are far fewer in number, meaning that we are far much less likely to be noticed. We are also gathering our forces much slower and are restricting our efforts to attacking villages which, despite being close to Altdorf, are very isolated. It may possibly weeks before word of its destruction reaches anyone of importance, if it ever does. By then we and De Mont shall be long gone." Elsa said nothing to that, though an idea was beginning to form in her mind.

Their progress back was impeded by the slow movements of the zombies and skeletons and the sky was beginning to show signs of dawn by the time they returned to where De Mont was waiting. Though the sun had not yet risen Elsa could feel it burning her and she rushed into the building, leaving Gaspar to tend to the new undead servants. In passing Elsa thought that it would serve him right to be reminded of the order of things, with humans, or whatever he was now, seeing to tasks beneath the notice of his vampiric masters.

She found De Mont in the dining room and he was not alone. He was standing near the table, but instead of the usual dining accoutrements a human was bound on the table. It was a peasant girl, Elsa would guess her age to be around fifteen or sixteen, more pretty than beautiful. Not that she was very pretty right now, her face was a mask of terror and she was pleading for mercy in a hoarse voice, please which De Mont ignored. Elsa felt a flash of jealousy. How dare that silly cow try to steal her master's affection! Her thoughts were interrupted when De Mont turned to look at her.

"I assume you were successful." Elsa quickly curtsied.

"Yes Master. We have added nearly a thousand to our ranks." She had been hoping that he would be pleased at word of her success, but instead he looked merely annoyed.

"Too few." He said, more to himself than to Elsa; "Far too few." If he was aware, or even cared, about how close he had come to death from the sun he gave no sign of it. Indeed, once he saw that she was done speaking he turned back to the girl and paid Elsa no further attention.

"That will be all. If you need to feed there is food in the cellar, if not, go rest." Elsa was not used to being ordered about like some servant, but when she made to protest he glared at her and she felt the compulsion to obey him stir within her. With a last glare at the struggling girl she turned and left the room.

She made her way through the decaying hallway and chose a room which seemed to be in slightly better condition than the others. It was windowed, but these were covered with heavy worn scarlet drapes. There was a large four-poster bed, beside which was a nightstand. Against one wall was a large ebony armoire and against another was a vanity table with a large mirror. Elsa approached this last one, still unused to seeing nothing when she looked into it.

As she did so she felt for the first time a twinge of regret at her loss of her humanity. She would never again see her beautiful face. What was the point of being young and beautiful forever if she could not admire it? She shrugged, she had all eternity to find a way to do so. Satisfied with that she went to the bed, ignoring the fact that the sheets were musty and a bit dirty and turned her mind to other things.

As much as she was loathed to admit it, Gaspar had made a legitimate point. Her master did not seem to think very highly of her, she needed to prove that she was of value to him now that he had all of her money. Her mind drifted back to the conversation that she had had with the necromancer and as she did, something that she had noted earlier came back to her. Of course that was how she could prove that she was of value. The politics of the undead were not too different from those of the living and the art of maneuvering had always been something that she had exceled at. She would show De Mont that she was of value and put that arrogant Gaspar in his place. Smiling contentedly she drifted off to sleep. She could not wait for the next night where she would put her plans in motion.

 **Author's Notes: Hey everyone, sorry that it has been so long since I last updated, I hope that the next one will be sooner. Do you know what she is planning? I will try to have longer chapters from here on out, but I wanted this one out for Halloween. Till next time please pray for a sick member of my family and friends of the family, those being persecuted for their faith and all who need prayers. Bye, may Jesus bless you and Happy Halloween.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone, sorry the last chapter was short, will try to do better. I own nothing.**

Elsa stirred to wakefulness shortly after the sun set, hunger gnawing at her insides. Remembering that De Mont had said something about nourishment, she prepared to go in search of it. Before she could leave her room; however, Gaspar appeared at the door. He gave her a smirk and a bow which was distinctly mocking in nature.

"Good evening, I trust that you slept well?" She glowered at him, but before she could respond he began to speak again.

"I figured that you would be hungry when you arose and so I took the liberty of having some brought up. You will find it in the next room over." Elsa did not design to give any thanks for that, one did not thank servants for doing their duties. Instead she inquired after De Mont.

"The master is going over plans for the future, by which I mean he is closeted in his quarters once again reminding himself about all the wrongs which his rivals have done to him in the past. I fear that he probably shall not be open to speaking with us for the rest of the night and perhaps tomorrow night as well.

"If I may make a suggestion, after you have fed come find me. I believe that you have some potential as a practitioner of the necromantic arts and I think it would be to both our benefit if you were to continue to develop those skills." With that he bowed and departed. Elsa watched him go, anger rising within her. How dare that mortal worm speak to her like that! Still, such knowledge could prove useful to her and it did not seem that her master was going to teach her, assuming that he could. Feeling the thirst stir within her, she went to seek out the nutriment. Going to the next room she found the meal that she had been promised.

It was a peasant girl, Elsa guessed her to in her mid-teens and clearly terrified. She was clad in rough-spun clothing which were dirty and torn, she had clearly not had an easy time of it recently. Her blue eyes seemed big as dinner plates as they darted towards Elsa as she entered. As Elsa drew closer she extended her fangs. As she had hoped the girl was terrified of her, the fear sharpened her appetite as it had for her the last time that she had fed. Her appetited was only further inflamed by the girl's pleading, which began as soon as Elsa entered the room.

"Please, m'lady, have mercy! I beg you!" Elsa ignored her as she walked up to the girl.

She could see the blood flowing through the girl's veins and the sight of it excited her almost to the point of losing control. Her panicked breathing, sharp and rapid, was as music to her ears. The terror was so thick in the room Elsa could practically smell it. If she could Elsa would have stayed like this all night long, savoring the sweet tang of the girl's fear which was almost as pleasurable as the feeding itself would be. Still, she also wanted to see what Gaspar had to teach her, so she would have to get a move on. She came up to the girl, extended her claws and gently ran them down the girl's throat, causing the girl's panicked breathing to increase in speed. At last Elsa leaned down and bit into the girl's neck and began to drink.

She had consumed blood before, but each time was just wonderful as the first. As the blood, tinged with the girl's fear, flowed down her throat she felt warmth spreading through her body. It was better than the finest wine she had ever drunk, more pleasurable than any of the men that she had been with, it was all that and more. It felt like power, she felt herself growing stronger and it brought a feeling of invincibility. She felt as if she could do anything, overcome any foe, as if the world itself was hers if she wanted it and want it she did. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds the girl was making. Her fearful whimpering had changed to moans of pleasure. Elsa remembered when De Mont had fed on her and the pleasure that being fed on had brought.

The thought instantly soured her mood and the ruined the feeding. Elsa wanted her food to know fear not pleasure. She stood up and raised her had to strike the girl in an effort to return the fear to the girl when the girl turned her head to look at Elsa. She had a dazed, dream-like expression, similar to the expression Elsa had seen on the faces of her companions after parting of weirdroot.

"Mistress." The girl breathed out, her tone one of utter devotion, which gave Elsa pause. It was clear that the girl was in her thrall and was utterly devoted to her. Elsa quite deserved such devotion of course and it pleased her to regard with complete devotion and to hold complete and utter power over someone, but not that pleasing. The girl was a peasant, little more than an animal really, to give such adoration to beings like Elsa was only to give them their due. Still, as she moved away and saw the longing in the girl's face gave Elsa an idea and she was smiling as she left the room and went in search of Gaspar.

She found him in a room on the second story which clearly served as a library, there being several shelves filled with books. Gaspar sat a desk reading a thick tome by the lite of several candles. As she entered the room he looked up, his face breaking into the smile which she found so annoying.

"Ah, so good of you to join me. Breakfast was to your liking I trust?" Elsa ignored his comment and advanced into the room. She had had the best tutors that money could buy, of course, but she had never been a great lover of books. She found the majority of them to be frightfully boring. Most seemed to on boring history which only stuffy old men could find history or the efforts of moralists to frighten the masses into behaving. Elsa had never concerned herself with such things and could not honestly say that she had looked at a book since her tutors had made her look at them. Finally turning her attention back to the necromancer.

"It was satisfactory. You said that you had things to teach me, so teach me." She hoped that by taking a commanding tone and lead she could gain the upper hand over the mortal for once. If he noticed he tone he paid it no mind.

"Indeed I do." He swept his hands to take in the book he was reading, as well as all of the others.

"Here, in these books, is the knowledge that can give a skilled vampire or necromancer the power over death itself and the ability to lay armies and cities to waste." Elsa desired such power, but the thought of staring at musty old books did not appeal to her. Something of what she was thinking must have shown on her face as Gaspar gave her a smile which was a mixture of understanding and distain.

"Yes, my lady, I fear that it is not all flashes and blasts of power. Sometimes it is necessary to take up a book and employ a little self-discipline.

"Now, now," he said as he saw a look of exasperation appear on her face; "It's not all bad. True, it takes time to read and absorb the knowledge that books present, but what of it? You have eternity, make the most of it." With a sigh Elsa came up and examined the book.

It was a rather macabre affair, what she had first taken to be leather on closer inspection turned out to be dried human skin and the in the place of ink dried human blood, blackened with age, formed the words. Despite these things, or maybe because of them, Elsa found herself drawn to the book. She gazed at the words and found herself captivated. Even as she read the words they seemed to come alive, hissing and whispering in her head. As the voices continued Elsa could feel the knowledge flow into her mind. This awoke something in her, it promised her power and she wanted that power. A chuckle drew her back to her surroundings after she had been reading for some time. Looking over she saw Gaspar looking at her, a slight smirk on his face.

"Interesting reading?" He asked her.

Elsa was about to answer, then stopped herself. She decided that she did not want to tell him about what she had experienced. She had learned while playing her games with her noble peers that one did not reveal everything about oneself, or anything truthful at all. So instead she gave the appearance of indifference.

"I suppose that it can be tolerable, but you had better be telling the truth about these books being able to give me access to the power that you promised." He smiled indulgently and waved his hand in a reassuring manner.

"Have no fear, knowledge is power, as the old saying goes." He might have said more, but at that moment there was a sound at the doorway. Standing there was a young man clad in a simple black robe.

"Yes?" Gaspar demanded in a perfunctory tone of voice.

"Lord De Mont request your presence Master." Gaspar rose with a sigh and started out of the room. Elsa moved to follow him, but the necromancer stopped her.

"I believe that he only wishes to see me. No doubt he will call for you when you have the time." He gave her a superior smile and then left the room.

Elsa sat there for a moment, literly quivering with rage. How…how dare that little…?! She found that she was too angry to form coherent thoughts. She would show them, oh yes, at the first opportunity she would prove to De Mont that she was far more valuable than that than that self-important popinjay! Still, she thought as calmness returned to her, first she would have to be able to prove that she was superior. It could not be denied that the man had far more experience than she did, if she was going to beat him she was going to need a lot more practice. That made her smile, yes, she needed to practice and she knew just how to do so. She rose, gathered what she needed and headed up to where the girl she had fed on lay, still bound to the table.

As Elsa entered the room the girl's eyes opened. She was about to speak when she saw what was with Elsa and began to scream. Elsa went up to her and put her hand over her mouth. Her face broke into a bright smile as she began to speak.

"Now, now, none of that. I need the practice and to help me do that you are going to play a little game."

 **Author's Notes: Hello, sorry that it has been so long, this just did not want to be written and kept going off to do other things. So what did you think? I want her to be truly disliked by the readers, cruel and evil not just petty. I am not sure I got it yet but will see more of that soon. As for the books I want her to be a bit of a prodigy, but not too extraordinary, not a magical Mary Sue. Till next time please pray for my dad's cousin, who suffered a head injury, those effected by the winter storms here in the US and all who need prayer. Bye and may Jesus bless you.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I am sorry that it has been so long since I last updated and I hope that this makes it up to you. As always I own nothing. WARNING: GORE.**

Elsa smiled as she removed her hand from the girl's mouth. The girl, for her part, stared at the zombie which Elsa had summoned. Elsa was rather proud of how easily she could summon and control the creature, in fact, she could do it almost without thinking. She was sure that it would not be long before she could summon and control whole armies of undead servants. The mere thought of it made her quiver with anticipation, but those pleasant thoughts would have to wait. There were other pleasures to be had first. She returned her attention to the terrified girl.

"You said that you were devoted to me correct?" The girl nodded in mute agreement.

"And you would like to prove that to me wouldn't you?" Again the girl nodded.

"Well, here is your chance." She indicated the zombie; "When this creature tries to kill you, don't let it." With that she stepped aside and sent a command for the zombie to attack. The girl's eyes bulged with terror and she backed hastily away from the creature.

"Mistress please!" She shrieked, giving Elsa a pleading look. Elsa's only response was to laugh.

The zombie continued to advance and the girl had nowhere to back up to. Seeing this the girl made a dash for the door. Unfortunately for her this took her past Elsa. Elsa gave a sigh of mock disappointment and, with speed and strength that she had never had when she had been a mortal, she interposed herself between the girl and the door. With a simple shove she sent the girl flying back into the zombie's arms.

"Silly girl," Elsa chided the girl as the zombie tore her throat out; "Running wasn't an option. I suppose that you were not as devoted as you claimed to be." As soon as the zombie dropped the dead girl to the ground Elsa reached out and commanded the corps to get to its feet. She wiped some of the blood from the wound on the zombie's throat and licked it. It was rather disappointing if truth be told. While it still carried tinges of the woman's fear, it was dead blood and already carried a stale element to it. In future she would have to make sure to feed from live fearful people. Bored, she turned calling over her shoulder as she went.

"Clean up the mess."

Downstairs she found that a human servant awaiting her. At least Elsa thought he was a human, it was rather difficult to tell. He was living, Elsa could sense the living blood flowing through his veins, but in truth he looked more like a mutant than a pure human. He was stooped and a hump on his back drove his left shoulder lower than his right. He had a lazy right eye and a hanging lip. Why De Mont would have such a creature around him was beyond Elsa, her master seemed to be as refined and sophisticated as herself, if no more so and the mere sight and smell of the creature was revolting to her. As she drew near it the creature bowed to her.

"Misstress." He said, slurring the words and causing Elsa to recoil slightly from his breath, which stank as much as the rest of him.

"Masster wishes to ssspeak to youuu. Pleeasse follow mee." With that the creature turned and shambled away. Elsa bridled at such abrupt treatement by a creature which would, in any civilized place, have been killed as a mutant; or at the very least been shunned as a freak.

He led her into a room which appeared to be a study, with shelves containing books on two of the walls and a table with a map in the center of the room. De Mont and Gaspar were at the table staring at the map. Elsa could see that her master was clearly angry, his fists were clenched tightly and he seemed to be controlling himself only with great difficulty. Gaspar on the other hand, while appearing frustrated, also seemed to be slightly amused by whatever was bothering De Mont. They both turned as Elsa and her guide entered the room. De Mont ignored her at first, instead focusing on the creature.

"Well done, you may leave us." The creature bowed.

"Yess Masster. Thank you Masster." With that he turned and was gone. Elsa cast look of distaste in his direction.

"Why in the name of all the gods would you keep such a disgusting thing around Master?"

"Do not presume thrall!" De Mont snapped at her.

"Despite his appearance he has served me faithfully for many years. More faithful than some." This he said with a look at Gaspar.

"And more usefully than others." This was said with a look at Elsa. This caused her to flush with anger. How dare he compare her to that thing! Before she could say anything; however, De Mont turned back to the map on the table, leaving it to Gaspar to inform Elsa of the proceedings.

"It appears that, despite our best efforts, it would appear that the forces that we now command are still insufficient to confront those of Van Opfer. Furthermore, we dare not gather any more in order to avoid alerting the Empire." Elsa came up to them and looked at the map.

"Where are we?" She asked. This time it was De Mont who answered. He stabbed his finger at spot on the map.

"Here, more or less." Elsa looked at where he was pointing.

They were south of Altdorf and they were indeed close, far too close for comfort. There were also several small villages located near where they were. As she stared at the map an idea began to form in her mind. She looked up at De Mont and Gaspar.

"Where is Van Opfer now?" At her question Gaspar looked at her in a way that he had not since they had met. De Mont, clearly enjoying having someone new to rant at, failed to notice the exchange. Instead he tapped a spot on the map north of Altdorf.

"There, about four nights march from us and he has a force far larger than our own." Elsa was slightly confused. She was not a military expert, but even to her there seemed to be something wrong.

"Surely, if his force is so large, Van Opfer will be discovered by the authorities in Altdorf?"

"Oh, the Empire will mobilize certainly. However; it does not matter. By the time Van Opfer is uncovered and the forces in Altdorf mobilized and march out we shall be dead and Van Opfer shall be long gone." De Mont slammed his fist down on the table, causing it to crack and Elsa to jump.

"This is intolerable! I will not have that Marienburg fop destroy me! I have worked too long and too hard for it all to be undone like!" Elsa waited for it to become clear that he was done speaking before she spoke.

"Master, if I may be so bold, I believe that I may have a suggestion as to how to use the situation to our advantage." While Gaspar looked intently at her De Mont snorted derisively.

"You? You've been one of us for less than a week! And before that the closest you ever came to military matters was to seduce officers! But please," here his voice grew sarcastic; "Enlighten us. Share your great wisdom with us." His words stung her, but Elsa forced herself to continue.

"Does Van Opfer know exactly where we are located?" Gaspar gave a slight nod of his head. At his affirmation Elsa continued speaking.

"If we can determine the rout that he is most likely to take then we strike at the villages ahead of him. This will allow us to build up our forces and it will alert the authorities in Altdorf. They will, as you said, marshal their forces and march out and they will indeed find a vampire, Van Opfer. If we are lucky they will destroy him, or at least drain his strength sufficiently that we can destroy him ourselves." For a moment neither of the other two spoke, they merely stared at her, then Jaspar began to chuckle.

"It seems that our little vampire has the mind of a strategist after all." Elsa smiled with false modesty.

"Not strategy necromancer, it is simple manipulation of others. A skill which comes naturally to any Von Carstein." This last was said with a flattering smile at De Mont. He master was silent for a moment and then he began to speak.

"It might work, Van Opfer is certainly foolish and arrogant to fall for such a ploy." He paused for a moment and then he turned to Gaspar.

"Gaspar, you and the thrall will go immediately and raid the villages that she indicated. Raze them and raise the dead. However; be sure to let one or two survive with sufficient strength to make it to Altdorf to spread word of what has happened." He paused and smiled.

"We'll let the humans do the work while we reap the benefits and then, we shall return to Sylvania. We shall return home.

 **Author's Notes: Hey every, how are my efforts to make her hated going? I will try to make the next one longer and sooner. Till next time please pray for those who need it and I will see you soon. May Jesus bless you.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone, sorry that it has been so long since I last updated. As always I own nothing. WARNING: SOME GORE.**

Elsa and Gaspar rode from the estate to carry out De Mont's plan, or rather the plan which Elsa had developed and De Mont seemed to have taken as his own. Elsa fumed slightly at the fact that her master had not praised her more for her cleverness. He had seemed content to rant and rave about Van Opfer until Elsa had put the idea in his head. She seethed at the thought of her master refusing to credit her with the development of the plan and give her the praise that she deserved. In her anger she felt her fangs and claws extending. Fortunately, they were drawing near one of the villages that they intended to strike. She would vent her anger on the insects which inhabited it. That thought calmed her and another one brought her pleasure; soon she would have the chance to use her abilities once again. She was ready to try them on a large scale and the thought of killing and raising an entire village filled her with giddy anticipation.

As if sensing her thoughts, Gaspar turned to look at her, his face twisted in the half-mocking knowing smirk which Elsa had come to hate in the short time that she had known him. She needed the necromancer, for now, but that did not mean that she had to like him. She had always despised such individuals, even when she had been mortal, individuals who were little more than jumped-up peasants who because of their skills thought themselves equal to their betters in the nobility. She would make use of him for now, he was a far more experienced necromancer than she was. But one day she would far surpass him, an event she was very much looking forward to. Just then Gaspar spoke, his voice breaking into her thoughts.

"Not pouting are we? If you are, then I must tell you that it is most unbecoming for a lord of undead." His words caused her temper to flair.

"You will hold your tongue and remember your place!" He only smirked further as if he could read her mind.

"Believe me my lady I am very much aware of my place." His voice lost it air of jocularity.

"The only one who can teach you how to wield the powers of necromancy, the only thing which might elevate you beyond your current role of errand-girl to a lord who steals the ideas of others." She glared at him, hating both him and the knowledge that he spoke the truth.

"I could repeat what you have said to Lord De Mont." She said the words in an effort to intimidate the necromancer. However; it was a bluff and it was clear that he knew it.

"You could, but that would remove your chance to learn all that I do. That would require you to be more loyal to him than to yourself and I think we both know that that is not the truth of the matter." Elsa did not reply. Yes, they both knew the answer, she was bound to De Mont by bonds of blood, but her loyalty was only to herself. She had become a vampire for purely selfish reasons and she served De Mont only grudgingly. She turned her thoughts back to the matter at hand.

They rode in silence for some time till they at last reached the outskirts of the village to which they planned to attack. She found that she did not know the name of the village and that she did not care. It was rather irrelevant in any event as the village would not exist by the time the sun came up. That pleasant thought was interrupted as they came to the crest of a hill and looked down on it.

Despite the lateness of the hour lights blazed at various points of the village and Elsa could see armed men patrolling the village. Beyond the village was the graveyard, just as in the previous village. However; when Elsa reached out to it, she found herself repelled. She gave a soft hiss and beside her Gaspar likewise displayed displeasure.

"What is that?" She demanded of him.

"It would appear that this place is determined to avoid the fate of our previous target. In addition to the increased sentries they appear to have re-consecrated the graveyard to Morr and the Death God will not let us have those interred within."

"Then what do we do?" Elsa demanded. He grinned that insufferable grin of his.

"There is more than one way to skin a cat my dear. Or, to be more poignant, there is more than one way to raise a corpse. If we cannot get what we want from the dead, then we shall get it from the living." With that he moved his mount down the hill and towards the village. After a moment Elsa followed him, cursing him under her breath.

They halted in clump of trees near the village. She was about to ask what the plan was when Gaspar began to chant. As he continued with the spell Elsa sensed presence of the dark magic being gathering around him. It coalesced into a dark mist which gathered around them. Looking at the ground Elsa saw the grass withered and die wherever the mist touched. With a word and a gesture Gaspar sent the mist toward the village, the trees withering and dying as the mist passed through them. It wasn't long before the screams of the villagers reached them, they were dying and they were clearly dying in agony.

"Impressive." Elsa said, trying to hide the fact that she was actually quite impressed with what he had done. From his grin it was clear that he saw through her efforts to appear nonchalant.

"Indeed it is and, as you can see, there are a few things that I have not taught you." He turned back to look on his creation.

"This is the Wind of Death. Strictly speaking the mist is not necessary, but I find it a nice artistic touch." Elsa laughed at his words.

"By all means. We must always be artistic."

"Indeed," he replied with a grin; "But now it is time to bring this little drama to an end." So saying he spoke and gestured again.

At his words and motions the mist dissipated after covering about half the village, killing all those with whom it had made contact. He then turned to Elsa and made a slight bow.

"My lady. Would you care to do the honors?" Though he phrased it as a request she heard the challenge. He was daring her to prove that her abilities would allow her to raise and control so many zombies at once. She ground her teeth, her fangs extending. She would show that she was more than capable of meeting his challenge. She extended her hands and began to chant.

She reached out with her magic and infused it into the freshly dead bodies. Like a puppeteer pulling on the strings she brought the dead to their feet and set them towards the remaining humans. The humans, for their part, while clearly terrified had begun to form into a formation. Well, that might be a generous appraisal as it more resembled a tightly packed mob. While crude it was effective Elsa had simply sent her zombies at the villagers without getting them into anything like a formation, the result of this was that they reached the humans singularly or in small groups and the humans were able to dispatch them. Elsa found the urge to scream in rage and throw herself into the mist of the worms and tear them apart with her claws and teeth as she kept raising the same zombies, only to have them repeatedly cut down. Indeed, she was about to dash forward when Gaspar raised a hand to stop her.

"It can be frustrating can't it? Allow me." Without waiting for her to reply, he acted.

Elsa found control of the zombies ripped from her by the necromancer as he moved closer to the battle. The zombies moved back and the humans gave a ragged cheer, clearly thinking that they had driven the undead back. The cheers soon died out as Gaspar sent the zombies back at them. This time they came in a formation reminiscent of those employed by soldiers of the Empire.

This new attack had more success and the human groups were being driven apart into smaller groups. The zombies, for their part, also broke into smaller groups to pursue them. Elsa would not admit it, but she was impressed by his ability to control the various groups while it took her whole concentration to control a single group. As if once again sensing her thoughts the necromancer turned and smirked at her.

The look enflamed her embarrassment at being upstaged by the mortal and she found she could stand it no longer. With a scream of rage she threw herself from her mount onto a woman trying to run past her. With a single blow Elsa torn the woman's throat out. This did not sate her rage she tore the body to pieces. Once she was done she found that she had blood all over her clothing and then remembered that her maid was dead and there was no one to clean her clothing for her. She rose, looked down at the corpse and kicked it savagely.

"You peasant cow! You've ruined my dress!" Seething at this fresh indignity she stalked off to find her mount.

By the time she found it and rejoined Gaspar the fighting was over. It appeared all the villagers were dead, their remains now swelling their ranks. The sole exception to this was a hut near the edge of the village with the zombies had surrounded. She once again dismounted and, accompanied by Gaspar, walked to the door. A single blow burst the door off of its hinges and they walked inside.

The interior was dark, but that was no impediment to her eyes. It was a simple affair, consisting of a single room. There was a simple fireplace and other peasant accoutrements which held no interest for Elsa. What did was the two figures huddled in the corner. Even at a distance Elsa could hear their rapid shallow breaths and the pounding of their hearts. The smell and sounds of fear thrilled her and she was almost salivating.

The humans were two young men, though youths might be more accurate. They seemed to be about fifteen and to Elsa's disappointment they were where both rather plain. It would have been so much easier to pick which one to live if one had been good-looking. However; as she thought about it, an idea came to her which made her smile with delight at its deliciousness, a sight which seemed to frighten the humans even more. She walked within a few feet of them and then stopped. She crouched down and smiled with false sweetness and then began to speak in cheery tone of voice.

"The village is dead, but one of you is going to be very fortunate, they are going to live." They stared at her, clearly not understanding what was going on. She continued speaking anyway.

"Yes one of you is going to live to see the sun rise. But, as they say, nothing in live is free and there is a small requirement to earn this gift." She sent a command to two of the raised villagers who entered the hut bearing the weapons they had attempted to defend the village with, a wood axe and a cheap sword. The boys drew back as the creatures approached, but they dropped the weapons on the floor in front of them.

"You see, you two are going to fight to the death and the winner gets to live." They starred in horror at her and the smile and sweet tone vanished.

"If you don't then both of you are going to die. So chose, one of you, or both of you."

 **Author's Notes: Hey everyone, how was it? Like I said, I wanted her to be hated at this point, as in Joffrey Baratheon-level hatred, am I succeeding? Let me know if you see anything which can be improved please. Till next time please pray for the people in California, Las Vegas, Somalia and everyone who needs prayer. Bye and may Jesus bless you.**


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